Caught in a Storm
by JokerKid988
Summary: Kat hates high school. She doesn't know who her parents are and has some unusual gifts. When she gets caught in a storm on her way home, she's thrown into another world. What she hates the most is who has to watch her, per Odin's orders. But there is a strange pull to the god of mischief that she can't control. Loki/OC Violence, language, lemons. R
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey guys. First Loki fic. Hope you like it!

High school sucks. Everyone knows this. Everyone has most likely had to suffer through it. Of course there are some bitches who enjoy making other kids lives more miserable than they might already be. No, I am not one of those bitches. I'm one of the bitches who beats the shit out of bullies. Heck, guys twice my size won't go up against me.

Anyways, we've laid that out. Now I should really be paying attention to the teacher but I've got better things to think about. Like how much I can't wait for graduation and I get the hell out of this god-forsaken town. But that's next year. Fuck me.

I wish I could just do a little voodoo on a couple of people, pull some strings. But I haven't mastered that yet. I can do a few simple things, like conjuring or making people trip. Very fun when track and field start practices. Lately, I've been working on teleporting, to no avail. As well as shape-shifting. I have a feeling I can do those things, deep down.

"Kathleen!" God I hate my name.

"Yep, that's me." I looked up into my very angry teachers face. Mrs. Bardge was a fat woman with a hatred just as big. Right now, her face was red, beady little eyes narrowed into slits.

"That's it. Detention. Now." Yes!

"Sure thing. Can I get a slip?" I watched as she turned and started back toward her desk. With a small wave of my hand, an enormous cockroach appeared in front of her. She screamed so loud, I didn't think I'd be able to hear.

"AHH! GET IT AWAY!" She danced around, looking like those pictures of women when they see a mouse. And let me tell you, that's the fastest I've ever seen her run. Now that I think of it, I've never seen her run. Right out the door, too.

"Guess we got free time." One of the boys announced, after the laughter had died down. I was still chuckling.

Everyone whipped out their phones and ipods and started talking up a storm. But I wasn't going to stay here. It's too boring. Picking up my stuff I headed out into the halls. I could hear Mrs. Bardge still screaming somewhere.

I strive to go to detention. It is the single most awesome place in this hell hole. It's the little glimmer of hope, when everything seems lost. Dumping my textbooks in my locker, I started toward the older part of the school.

Originally, there was a school back in the late 30s'. A weird fire started. Killed a bunch of people. Burned the school to the ground. Except for the hall I was heading into now. They decided it would be cheaper just to build around it, add it back in.

All of the problem classes were back here. The ones with all the goths, drunks, druggies and sluts. Most of these kids were in detention. So it's a very large classroom.

And best of all, the teacher was the amazing, in your dreams, kind of teacher. He was in his 20s' and an awesome dude. He sat on his desk and played his guitar almost all the time. He smoked and let the kids smoke, as long as it wasn't a joint. The smell would linger. He loved to drink, but tried not to during school hours. Which must be hard, since there are a few beer cans and hard liquor bottles all around. The school turned their head when someone was a bit tipsy. But they wouldn't stand for the drugs.

Entering the room, cigarette smoke hit me like a slap in the face. But I was used to it. The room was filled with horny and tipsy teenagers. Some sluts sat on desks with their skimpy clothes, sitting in some provocative position. Several boys stared at them, some looking like they were recovering from a hangover. One girl and guy were already grinding up on each other. I grimaced and headed toward Rick. Rick is the teacher.

"Hey, Kat! Back already?" He saw me coming up to him.

"You bet. Did ya hear Bardge's screaming?" He grinned and nodded.

"Impossible not to hear it. What was it this time?"

"A cockroach. A really big one." He chuckled and went back to his guitar.

I turned and grabbed one of the liquor bottles, taking a small swig. It felt good. But I'd be sure not to get drunk until I get home. Now, just to spend the rest of the day in cigarette smoke and guitar playing.

Finally the bell rang for the drivers to get out. Waving bye to Rick and nodding to a few of the others, I headed toward freedom. Unfortunately, Trish and her bitches had to be between me and home.

"Oh look girls. It's Rick's slut. Have a good fuck with him?" Her voice was nasally and obnoxious, to the point that it was nauseating. Her and her groupies were rich little girls who got everything they wanted and has never had to work a day in their life. That made them think that they were better than everyone else.

"Better than what you could get." She was applying lipstick to her botoxed mouth in front of her locker mirror. All of her friends sneered.

Without looking at me she said, "And what makes you think that I can't get a drugged up jackass to sleep with me?"

That's it. I focused on her locker door and jerked my hand forward. The door slammed hard on her face, a crack being heard. Instantly she started crying out.

"That's a good reason." I could tell her nose was broken as it was bleeding profusely. Her friends crowded her, trying to help her. I just laughed happily and walked outside. That's so fun. Like I always say, it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt, then it's hilarious.

Luckily, tonight was my night off from my job at the town diner. The works not too bad. The money at least keeps me going. I don't have anyone to look after me. I'm all on my own.

Walking toward my old little Subaru, I whipped out my keys and jumped in. Now just to get through the traffic.

I lived way out in the desert. The middle of nowhere really. I couldn't find anything closer. It takes about an hour to get from town to home. The house was real small. Just big enough for me. That's all I needed.

Back to the fact that I'm alone. I don't know who my parents are. As far as I know, or concerned, they're probably dead. I've been thrown around from foster parent to foster parent. They all freaked out, some I think went insane. They saw me doing magic. I wasn't very careful of hiding it. Eventually, I ran off. As far as I could. Which would be a couple of states.

Tired of all the drama. When I was sixteen, I ran from my most recent guardians. Real charmers, too. They beat me on a daily basis. The state was just too stupid or didn't care to see. With the help of a little magic, I should be safe until eighteen. By then they can't do anything.

My little Subaru drove through the desert at eighty. I liked to drive fast when I'm on this road. Little thrill, something I needed. Suddenly there was a loud crack. Looking up into the sky, I saw it was lightening. Very odd.

The sky started to turn dark, the wind blew fiercely, picking up sand with it. What the fuck was going on? We don't get this weather.

As I gawked at the darkening sky, spotting a small tunnel forming, my car drove of the road and into a ditch. I screamed as it flipped a few times, stopping on its top. It started to sound like a train was coming.

Unbuckling myself, I fell onto sharp glass. It hurt like hell, but I had more pressing matters. There was a tornado coming my way. Very angry with lightening striking around it.

Now, here are the choices. One, I get picked up inside the vehicle and spin around until I get thrown out. Two, get out of the car and chance being thrown around like a rag doll. Fear fueling my choice, I scrambled out the broken window. I grimaced as broken glass pressed into my skin.

Quickly I healed it away, getting ready for more serious damage. I could hardly see, it was so dark. But I could see the twisting tunnel very easily. And it was coming my way. I hardly had a chance to scream as I was violently picked up in the tornado.

Somehow, I kept my eyes open. Apparently seeing my death was a bit comforting. No I'm just stupid. This was no ordinary twister. Feeling it deep down, I knew it was something else.

I looked up, seeing a strange bluish light at the top. Don't go toward the light. But I had no choice. My body was jerked around and it felt like something was pulling me into the light.

Suddenly, the noise of the twister stopped. Now there was a rushing sound. Looking around, it seemed like I was in space. It was beautiful. Clusters of stars and all of the colors. A cold chill started to come over my body.

Everything turned into a white blur, and my body sped up further. Finally, I decided to close my eyes. Then gravity was back. Warm air hit me. I jerked my eyes open and saw blue sky, then a field as I crashed down onto it. My body bounced and hit the ground again, rolling for what felt like forever. The breath was knocked out of me and I struggled to breathe in.

There was a loud crack to my side, a few feet away. Laying on my back, I continued to try and suck in air. My chest was in so much pain. Everything was in pain. I felt like I had broke several things.

Air filled my lungs once more, and I gasped and sputtered. Trying to sit up, I cry out. Some ribs were broke. Laying my hand over them, I concentrated hard. Bones were a bit tricky for me. Warmth filled my chest and the pain began to lessen.

Sitting up, I found a few more broke things. Mending them took a little while. When I was satisfied with the small amount of pain I felt, I looked up at my surroundings. What I saw confused me.

I was in the middle of a meadow. Like those that you see in fairytale books. Wild flowers grew all around. The only other thing I saw was a tree line behind me. The field continued on in front of me as far as I could see. On the horizon, I saw several horses with riders coming my way.

I touched my head lightly. Coming away, there was blood. I had no time to heal it. Carefully I tried to get up. Reaching my feet, my head swam, and I felt my body become numb. Falling back down, I could hear hooves. My head continued swimming, until finally everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

I felt strange. I heard voices around me.

"She's alive." It was a female voice.

"Of course she is alive. We saw her stand up a moment ago." This one was male. He had a very beautiful voice.

"Let's get her back to the palace. The healers can have a look at her." I felt my body being picked up and I groaned.

"Is she awake?" This male voice was deeper.

"No, not quite."

"She doesn't need the healers. Bring her here." It was the pretty voice guy again. My body rocked as I was carried forward.

A hand touched my head were it was busted. It hurt but I didn't make any noise. Warmth spread from the hand through to my head. I was being healed. I wanted to open my eyes and see the stranger. He knew magic. But my body refused to do anything but listen.

"That should take care of most of the damage."

"She doesn't seem to be injured anywhere else. That is strange, don't you think?" Deep male voice. From where it was coming, I could tell he must be the one carrying me.

"We can have a closer look once we return." Girl voice.

"Brother, you can carry her on the trip." My body was lifted higher and an exchange of hands was made. Instead of large and strong, these were slender and gentle. I could feel the pulse of magic beneath them.

"Why do I have to carry her?"

"Because you are the one who sensed her coming. Now be careful. Try not to jostle her too much." The voice receded and the sound of leather rubbing against leather and fabric moving was heard. I felt an arm wrap around my torso, holding me up.

As I drifted back out, I could hear hooves start to pound. The man holding me sighed and then we were moving.

My mind went to sleep. I have no idea how long. But when my body started to register things, my head hurt. Opening my eyes, I looked around slowly. Nothing looked remotely familiar.

Starting to sit up I saw a few young girls around the room. All were doing something with books and herbs. One turned and saw me.

"She's awake. How do you feel?" The other girls looked my way and started to come toward me.

"Where am I?" I asked. I didn't feel comfortable about this.

"You are in the infirmary. Odin wishes to speak with you when you are ready." The girl was soft spoken and looked like she came out of some Dungeons and Dragons movie.

"What? Odin? Hey, let me go. Don't touch me. Who are you?" I was starting to panic. Something was bad wrong. Swinging my legs over the edge of the cot, I stood and immediately got a headache. My head swam terribly, and felt as if it would bust. The girls tried to help me.

"Please, miss. You need to lay back down. The healer will be in in a moment and he can help your head."

"No! Where the hell am I?" Fighting the dizzy and seeing a door, I stumbled toward it. The girls followed, trying to pull me back.

"Where are you going? Miss!" The door led into an enormous hallway. I mean, the kind that two semi's could drive through side by side.

Straightening, I walked down the hall, trying to see where I was. It sure as hell wasn't a hospital.

"Miss."

"No I am not going to lay back down! Now give me some damn answers!"

"What's going on?" I turned and saw a guy dressed up in some freaky armor. How hard did I hit my head?

"She is awake, and is wanting some answers as to her location." One of the girls piped up.

"If you are ready, then the All-father would like to speak with you."

"All father? Who's that?" Metal man started my way.

"He can give you the answers you need. Come with me." Eying the pointy spear he was carrying, I decided not to run. Which I don't think my head could deal with anyway.

"Ok." I said. The man turned and started walking off. I took that as my cue to follow.

How big is this place? We walked for what seemed forever. Several times I had to ask him to stop so my head could stop swimming. When we came to a very large set of double doors, made of what looked like gold, he opened the door and motioned me inside. I entered cautiously, jumping when the door slammed shut behind me.

What I saw brought me back to those stories I read of kings and queens and their courts. At the end of the room was a large throne, with a large old man with an eye patch sitting in it. To one side was a large man with shoulder length blond hair, a beard, and wore armor and a red cape. He held a very large hammer in one of his hands.

On the other side of the throne was a tall skinny looking man. He was the opposite of the blond. His skin was pale, and he had high cheekbones. His hair was dark brown. He wore green and gold clothing, and the strangest yet, a helm with horns was on his head.

On the side with the blond man were four other people lined up. Three men and a woman. The men struck me as Robin Hood, Jackie Chan, and Hagrid. The woman was fierce looking. If she wasn't so pale, I wouldn't have put it past her to have an Amazonian heritage.

All of them were staring at me. Very unnerving. Usually these things wouldn't bother me, but when I don't know what's going on, I get edgy.

"Come forward, child." The old man spoke. His voice was deep with many years. Cautiously, I walked toward the group of people. I felt like if I gave one of them a weird look, they would pounce on me.

"Tell us your name." Old guy again.

"Um, Kat. I mean Kathleen." I grimaced at my real name. I grit my teeth with the tension in the air.

"Well Kathleen. Where are you from?"

"Uh. New Mexico. You?"

"Do you know where you are now?"

"No." He sighed and looked at the blond man.

"She is Midgardian. Unlikely for her to understand where she is." His voice was deep. He must have been the one that had picked me up back in the field. The old man nodded.

"Uh yeah. Sorry. What?" I scrunched my brows in confusion at the two men. What did they just call me? I held my head for a moment while my head buzzed.

"This will be hard for you to understand young one. You are on Asgard. Another world. For some reason you were brought here. We do not know why." Stunned, I just stared at him.

"Are you high? Or is this some big joke? A joke right? Ok. Haha. Very funny. Now where am I?" Now I was getting pissed. I don't like it when people mess with me. To my dismay, they all stared stony faced.

"It is no joke." Now the blond was talking. I nodded.

"Yeah. Either you all are damn good actors or its not a joke."

"No. This is no joke. We speak the truth." The blond continued on.

"Ok. Can I get some names here? Make me feel a little better." The old guy nodded.

"My name is Odin, All-father." I laughed and held up my hands. That rang an old bell.

"Wait. Like, the god Odin? From the Norse mythology stuff?"

"I do not know what this mythology is, but yes I am the Odin you speak of." Looking at the people gathered around me, I saw them in a new light. They all seemed like the gods that the stories had talked about.

"How hard did I hit my head?" I asked more to myself. But no. This was real. If my magic is real, than this might as well be. I gave in.

"Ok. I sorta believe you here. I remember reading those stories. It seems it….w…w." Holy shit what is that! Something was crawling up my leg and I looked down. There was a very large, very beautiful snake climbing my leg. I pointed at it.

"Who's snake?" No one claimed it and I reached down. When I touched it I could tell it had been conjured. If my memory is right, only one of these guys does magic. Slowly I unwound it from my leg.

"Hey there beautiful. I need my leg but you can have my arm for now." When I was about to straighten back up, I made a small wave with my hand toward the guy with horns. A large tarantula appeared on his back, though no one knew it yet.

The snake was very beautiful. It was a very vibrant shade of green, with yellow diamonds down its back.

"Seriously? No one's snake?" Everyone looked at me very strangely. I took time seeing their faces. The best was Loki's. Yeah, pretty sure that's his name. He was surprised and disappointed that I wasn't screaming at his little trick.

Looking at the snake and scratching its chin, I addressed Odin again.

"So, you guys are the ones from all those books I read, hmm? I hope some of it was true…." Right on cue.

Loki was yelling and jumping around. He was trying to find the spider, which I quickly made disappear. I tried to keep my face with a confused look. Everyone was looking at him strangely. It was almost painful to hold in the bouts of laughter that wanted to come out.

"What is it brother?" The blond was asking. Thor, I think. Loki finally stopped moving, huffed and looked at everyone.

"There was a spider. A really big spider." I couldn't help but crack a small smile.

"There is no spider." Thor continued. I coughed to cover the laugh that broke through.

Loki snapped his gaze to me and darkened. I didn't know if he knew it was me, or if he didn't like that I had laughed at him.

Regardless of which, with a wide swing, the snake that was contently curled around my arm burst into flames. Gasping, I swung my arm, trying to put out the fire. That pissed me off.

"That was a little cruel, don't you think?" I gave him a look filled with venom.

"How did you know it was my brother that had done that?" Thor spoke and started walking forward. Continuing to pat my arm, I spoke.

"Just as I know he conjured the snake. Like I had tried to say, the mythology seems to have been at least half the truth. He sticks out with those horns of his." The four people to the side gave small snickers. I gave him one last glare then looked at Thor.

He took my arm and looked at it. It was burned slightly. Not too serious.

"That was very childish, Loki. Now her arm is burnt." I pulled back.

"It'll be fine." Loki and I continued exchanging death glares.

"You will remain here until we figure out how and why you were sent here. Until then, you will be Loki's responsibility." I had been half listening, as Loki must have been too.

"What?" Our gazes slipped to Odin's as our mouths hung open.


	3. Chapter 3

"Loki, you were the one who had told us of her coming. And so that you won't injure our guest further, you will be held responsible for anything that happens to her while she is here." Loki tried to object.

"But, father.."

"No Loki." His voice raised and he looked at his son sternly. Returning to look at me he said, "I know you must be tired. Loki will show you to your room. And I would love to hear these stories you speak of some time." He smiled warmly and sent his son forward. who was scowling deeply.

"Thank you." I said to him before turning to follow goat boy out into the hall.

Loki said nothing as he walked down the large corridors. His stride was long, but I had a good length stride as well, so I kept up with him easily. He was pouting. I could tell. And it made me very happy. When I was alone, I would have to work out some of these laughs.

After several halls passed, he paused in front of a door and opened it up. I peeked inside and was amazed at what I saw. It's a girls dream bedroom. A large four poster bed with soft looking bedding. Very intricate looking furniture. Off to the side I could see a bathroom.

"This is you room. You will have a servant to take care of your needs. My room is down the hall if you need me." His voice was filled with venom. If he wouldn't get in trouble, he would have turned me into a pile of ash.

"Believe me, I don't like this anymore than you. But we don't really seem to have a choice. Lets just pretend we can stand each other for our own sakes. Deal?" My face was stern as I held out my hand. He looked at it as if it would bite him. But he shook my hand regardless.

"Deal. I will see you tomorrow." Abruptly, he turned on his heal and walked away. I stuck my tongue out at his shrinking form and went into my room.

The room was very beautiful. Steps lead down to the bed, which looked like it was covered with fine silk. On the left was a large wardrobe. There was also a day bed close to the balcony windows. Off to the right I could see a doorway leading to the bathroom.

I opted to sit on the daybed. It was comfortable and I wished I could fall asleep. But my mind had other ideas as it tried to cipher through everything that it had learned in the last hour. So apparently all those Norse stories I liked to read were true. Well, at least the characters were. May look different than they had been described, but they're the real deal. Wonder if the other mythologies are real too? Man, my head still hurts.

Loki was the god of mischief. Also known as the god of lies and the god of fire. I remember that from the books. He was always my favorite character to read about. Was a real jackass at times but he had the right to be. I wonder if the stories are true. When I have the chance, I may need to get Odin to tell me how he got that horse of his..

There was a soft knock at the door. "Yeah?" Great human answer.

A girl came into the room. She was about my age, maybe a bit younger. Her long hair was bound up in a bun. She had on a clean work dress and seemed a bit nervous.

"Prince Loki sent me. I am to be your servant while you are here." She had a soft voice and kept her head down. Oh heck no.

"Um, thanks. But that's really not necessary. I'm used to taking care of myself. Just show me how to work the bath and I'll be fine." Don't get me wrong, she seems to be a nice girl, but I don't like other people to take care of me.

"But Prince Loki would be very upset if I did not serve you. You are a guest in the house of Odin, and should be treated as such." This will take a little more persuasion.

"I see. Well, then maybe we can make a deal. Is that ok? Hey, don't have your head down. I want to see your face not your scalp." Slowly the girl raised her head.

"How about you show me how things work, and I can take care of it from there. You can still act as if you were doing all of your duties. Nobody has to find out." I thought it was rather a good idea, but her face said otherwise. Her color paled and she looked very scared.

"But I am supposed to take care of you. I am to bathe and dress you. Bring you food when you need it. Please, I will be in much trouble if anyone finds out." Sighing, I motioned for her to come and sit by me on the daybed. She walked slowly and sat at the edge.

"Ok. I understand. How about this. I order you to let me do my own bathing and dressing. During then you can stay in here so you are still technically doing your job. You can bring food and whatever else it is you have to do. And instead of being my servant, how about being a friend. I could really use one in this place." Now this had to work. I added in a warm smile as an extra measure. I was serious about the friend thing. She seems like a nice girl.

"Yes. I think that might work out." She said hesitantly and gave a small smile. Success.

"Good. How about you show me how to work the bathroom and then we can talk after I've taken a bath?" She agreed and lead me into the bathroom. The tub was freaking huge and made of marble. I bet at least three five hundred pound sumo wrestlers could fit in it.

The knobs were similar to what I had at home. After we had filled the tub with hot water, she showed me the various soaps. All of them smelled good. I chose one that smelled like a pine forest. One of the foster homes I was at was in Washington. Close to where Forks would be. You know, the town from the vampire books. That was probably the best home I had had. I loved the area.

When the bath was all set, I had realized that I didn't know the girls name.

"Hey, I didn't get your name. What is it?" The girl had gradually relaxed around me, and smiled when I asked her.

"My name is Sora. I am glad that Prince Loki assigned me to you. You are very kind." Man she was growing on me already.

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you. I'm Kathleen. But I like to be called Kat." We laughed and shook hands.

"I'll let you to your bath. If you need me, I will be in your room." Sora got up and walked back into the bedroom. She stopped at the doorway and grabbed something. There was a curtain that I hadn't noticed earlier. She pulled it shut and I was left to a nice hot bath.

Stripping down, I sat at the edge and gradually slid into the water. It stung at first, but soon soothed my aching body. It took a good beating when I landed in that field. There were still a few light bruises scattered around. But I was too tired to work on healing them.

Thinking about magic brought me to think about Loki. I had hoped that someone else who knew magic would teach me. I had always dreamed about it, but didn't think it likely. And now it seemed impossible, since me and Loki haven't started out on the right page. It was his fault. He started it with the snake.

That snake really was beautiful. Closing my eyes, I pictured it in my head. The shape and the vibrant colors. Moving my hand slightly, I heard a small hiss. Opening my eyes, there was the snake on the edge of the tub. Reaching to it I gave it a little scratch under its chin. Its tongue flipped in and out.

Now I had some company to distract my thoughts. Sitting up onto my knees, I picked up a sponge that Sora had left. Dutifully scrubbing and cleaning, it helped make me relax. When my skin started to tingle, I abandoned the sponge and dipped my hair into the water.

Sitting back on my heels, I picked up the reptile that had started to slide into the water. Wrapping her around my shoulders, I contently rubbed her head until finally making her disappear. Sighing and climbing from the still warm water, a towel awaited me in the floor. I picked it up and dried my hair and body, afterwards wrapping it around my body.

Outside Sora was waiting for me.

"Come here. Loki sent you some clothes."

"More than likely Odin sent them. Loki and I aren't on very good terms." Regardless, I followed her over to the wardrobe. She opened it up and my eyes widened. There were a few beautiful dresses, which were all made with Loki's colors. There were several pairs of pants and some blouses. In the floor were riding boots and a pair of sandals. My favorite was the long leather coat.

Sora handed me a nightgown. The material was soft and fine. I thanked her and asked her to turn away as I slipped it over my head. The material felt so good against my skin.

"I'll really have to thank him for this." Sora and I walked back over to the daybed and sat down. We talked for a very long time. We each took turns describing our childhoods and where we were from. She seemed almost horrified when I described the desert to her.

I enjoyed hearing her tell about Asgard, and all of the places that she would like me to see. She had four sisters and one brother. Her father had died when she was young, so she had to take a job as a servant. Her family lived in a village not too far away.

She was very sad when I told her about my parents.

"I am so sorry. That must be hard, not knowing who your parents are."

"It's ok. I've learned to cope with it." I wanted to add, 'And I have no idea _what_ my parents were.' But I couldn't tell her about my magic.

"It is getting late. I will go and fetch you some dinner. Odin wanted me to tell you that he wants you to eat dinner with him and his family tomorrow evening. He thought that you needed rest tonight." I nodded and Sora left.

Well dinner with Odin and his family. Won't that be fun? That might just be the perfect opportunity to ask him some about his horse. If it matches up with our story than I'm going to have a hard time not laughing.

The bed looked very inviting, so I slid underneath the covers. The sheets were warm. I wonder how long I'll be here? And why am I here? God, it's been a confusing day. Wonder what tomorrow holds in store?


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Here is the next chapter. Before anyone comments about it on this story, yes 'I' is used too much. I'm just too stupid to work the sentence to where it is not used. Anyways, I enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you guys like it. Pleassseeee review. I love it when people review. Thanks for all of the fav and follows!

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My dreams were filled with images of a certain dark haired, green-eyed god. In my dream he was actually not an ass. He was really kind. My thoughts were interrupted when Sora came in with breakfast.

"Good morning Sora." I greeted her as I sat up. She smiled.

"Good morning. I brought you breakfast. Would you like me to draw a bath?" I cocked an eyebrow at her to remind her of our agreement.

"Oh yes. Sorry. I forgot. Old habits die hard." I nodded in agreement. We sat and talked while I ate breakfast.

"So what do you wish to do today?" Sora suddenly asked. I was taken aback because I really didn't know. But an idea formed in my head.

"Is there anywhere I can work out frustration? You know, just, violence."

"Well, there is the training field. They may let you work there…"

"Training field? What's that?" My interest was peaked.

"Um, it is where the princes usually fight. The guards also will use it sometimes." Sora didn't seem all too pleased with the idea of the training field.

"Do they fight with swords and stuff?" She nodded nervously.

"Well that sounds good. Can I go?" I didn't wait for an answer as I jumped up and went to the wardrobe.

"Um, well, you can. But are you sure that is a good idea? They do not play around there." I ignored her as I grabbed some pants and a blouse. Rushing to the bathroom, I changed quickly, falling in my haste when pulling on the pants.

"Are you ok? Do you need help?"

"No I'm fine." Standing and pulling the pants up, the blouse tucked in, I ran back out into the room. Putting on the boots, I hurried Sora along to show me where the field was.

After we had passed many halls and entered the vast yard, I could hear the clashing of metal and grunts. Leaving Sora behind, I ran ahead. The area was very large and surrounded by seven foot hedges. In the center was a dirt circle, were two men fought with swords. Along the edges a few people in armor stood watching. In the corner there was a weapons and armor rack. A large man stood next to it, seemingly the keeper. Poor Sora had just reached me when I shot off towards the man.

"Excuse me." The man turned to look at me. This guy was pretty brutish looking. He was made for this job.

"Yes?" He asked. His voice was very deep.

"Yeah. Um, I was wondering. Can I fight?" I felt kinda stupid asking him.

"I'm afraid you can not." But he added very quickly as he saw my face fall.

"It is nothing against you. I enjoy it when people are eager to fight here. But you can not use the field unless you have permission from…"

"She has my permission. Let her fight." His voice gave me chills. I quickly restored my expression from shock to one more neutral.

"As you wish, Prince Loki. I will get her ready." I turned around to face goat boy. He didn't have his crown on today. His hair was slightly disheveled and there was a bruise forming on his forehead. He must have been fighting today.

"Thank you, _Prince_ Loki." then I added quietly, "Hope I get killed and you are free of me?" He smirked, his voice conversational.

"One can only hope." I couldn't help the small smile and quite laugh that escaped. Loki quickly turned around and was off.

"Come here and let me get you ready." The man behind me said.

After about ten minutes he had me geared up in female armor. The torso piece went on backwards, like if you put a vest on backwards. It tied in the back. A pair of metal arm guards protected the lower half of my arms.

I had come to learn that the man's name was Mordune. Despite his appearance, he was a nice man. Currently he was eyeing me and then a sword on the rack.

Poor Sora had been standing nearby. She looked at me very worriedly. When I asked her what was wrong she said, "Are you sure you want to do this? It is very dangerous." Rolling my eyes I told her I would be fine.

Finally Mordune handed me a sword. "How does this feel? Not too light or too heavy? Can you keep good balance with it?" When I took the sword, something came over me. I felt powerful. Like I had always known how to fight with such a weapon, even though I had not ever touched one before.

"It's good. Feels right." he nodded at my reply, though I had been referring more to how I felt.

"Good. Now you must be careful. Do not get cocky when you think you have gotten used to it. That could very well get you killed. I suggest you do more to protect yourself than to beat your opponent."

"Mordune, what is this? You are letting this little girl fight? And a mortal at that, too!" I turned around to the bastard that was yelling. God his face. It was one of those you would punch before talking to.

"She has Prince Loki's permission to fight. I can not deny her that, now can I? She will do fine." Mordune didn't seem all too happy about his remark either. The man brandished his sword about.

"Then I will fight her. It would be a good beginning point, do you not think? I will show her what she is doing, and show her she does not belong here." I was pissed. My teeth clenched together. An idea formed in my mind. I turned back to Mordune.

"I will fight this idiot." I told him. He nodded.

"Then you will fight." Mordune called out to the man. My heart beat fast with anger and anticipation. Sora was looking at me almost horrified. I winked at her then turned around. My face was cleared of anger, and replaced with a look of struggle.

The man laughed and waited for me in the center. Walking toward him, I dragged the sword along, acting as if it was too heavy for me. I didn't like doing this, but the results should be very satisfying.

The man laughed harder and pointed, calling out to the people I had just realized were watching. "Look! She can not even lift her sword! Now do you not see that you should be elsewhere? Perhaps sewing would be simple enough for you?" The people around laughed. It took all I had to not run at him.

I continued to act like a struggling child. When I reached the center, across from him, I fell down. The people around started laughing loudly. The man looked as if he would fall over with the force of his laughter.

"You see? I told you, you don't belong here." I looked up at him innocently.

"You were right. I can not do this. Would a gentleman such as yourself, be so kind as to help me back with my sword?" My voice was laid over thick with innocence and defeat.

The man rolled his eyes but came forward anyways. I held my hand out to him and tensed my muscles. He smirked as his hand came forward. As he was about to grab my hand, I grabbed his wrist instead and my face screwed up with rage. He was shocked for a moment before I pulled down hard and swung out my leg, catching his knees hard.

The crowd stopped laughing. He fell down and I was up in a flash. I stepped on his wrist that was next to his sword. My sword pressed into the base of his neck. His face was shocked and scared.

"Little mortal girl indeed. _Never_ underestimate me. And think twice before you insult a woman." I punctuated the last line by pressing the sword down harder.

Loki was surprised. Well, shocked really. He had thought that the stupid girl would learn a lesson. He had watched the whole thing from the sidelines with his brother, Thor, next to him. Thor leaned over.

"Trickery. Much like you, Loki." He was smiling. He was already starting to like this girl. Loki just growled.

I stepped back from the man a bit. "Get up. Let's see if you make up in strength for what you lack in intelligence." That struck home. Just where it really counted. He growled and got up.

Immediately he ran for me, sword raised. He swung and I simple ducked underneath, catching his leg along the way. He fell once again and the crowd chuckled along. My plan was to anger him, make him act impulsively, which didn't take much. Rolling over he glared at me, breathing hard. He glanced behind me for a moment.

Now this was unfair. One of his buddies was coming up behind me. I waited, acting as if I was oblivious to the oncoming attack. The man grunted, and I whirled around, my sword clashing loudly against his. We backed away , Idiot #1 got up and stood next to Idiot#2.

"Two against one is hardly fair. You might get hurt?" Mocking them was fun and worked to my advantages.

They both came at me at once, and I panicked for a second before relaxing, seeing my next move. One brought his sword to swing to the side, the other had his above his shoulder going to swing downward.

My arm stood out to stop the sword from the side, the arm guard protecting me. My sword swung to the other. When he hit the metal of the guard, pain erupted throughout my arm. I kicked him in his side sending him to the ground. The other one swung at me again and I stopped him from cleaving my head in two.

With his free hand he punched me hard in the face. I grunted and staggered back. He came at me again, I blocked his sword and grabbed his wrist, yanking him around behind me.

Falling back a bit from them, they regrouped. Nodding to each other, they went separate ways, circling me. I stood and watched. Suddenly, they both ran for me. When they were close, thinking they had me, I sighed and ducked and rolled away from them. The crowd cheered when the men ran into each other.

Slowly the two stood once again. They were panting and enraged. Sweat made their hair, as well as mine, to stick to our necks and faces. One of the men, Idiot #2, dropped his sword and walked toward me. I dropped my sword to the side as well.

This guy was starting to use some moves from my book. He came forward, as if to punch me. Instinctively I ducked, but he tripped up my legs. With a painful thud I fell to the ground. The man took the opportunity and was on the ground next to me. He wrapped one hand around my throat and squeezed painfully. I chocked out and fought him, trying to remove his hand from suffocating me.

With his free hand, he waved to his buddy behind him. Everyone started to murmur quietly. I reached up and clawed at the man's face. Idiot #1 came up in front of me, a smirk plastered across his bruised and bloody face.

My eyes widened in fear when he raised his sword up. He was going to impale me while I was almost defenseless. As he was posed overtop of me, I took a last ditch idea into play. My leg lashed out, my foot hitting home in a very sensitive place between his legs. His eyes widened and a strained groan was heard.

He dropped his sword and grasped himself. I gasped as the sword caught my leg, a small gash forming. Idiot #2 was staring at his buddy, but quickly returned his attention back to me, his stranglehold renewed with the others injury.

His eyed were lit with fire. My air supply was cut off completely, my body bucking to get free. I grasped around blindly with one hand, feeling the coarse, dry material of the dirt. Grabbing a handful, I threw it into the man's eyes. He yelled and released his hands. I was dizzy as I stood up quickly.

My windpipe felt like it was crushed and I wheezed, trying to get air in my lungs. The man was still on his knees, yelling and wiping at his eyes. Walking back to him, I grabbed some of his hair. His weeping was soon silenced, as I brought his head back and brought it down as hard as I could on my knee. He quieted and fell back on his back, unconscious.

The crowd clapped and cheered, but I could hardly hear it as my vision started to black out. Grasping at my throat, I could make out a yell. With my remaining strength, I healed my throat. As the muscles knitted back together, I took in a large breath. Slowly, my vision came back. Mordune was running toward me, motioning to someone behind me.

He reached me as I was bent over coughing and sputtering, but breathing nonetheless.

"Are you ok?" He grabbed my arm carefully.

"Ye..Yeah. Ca.. Never better. So how'd I do?" My voice returned to normal through the sentence. My head slowly cleared and my breathing was back to normal. Mordune was silent for a moment before he gave out a laugh.

"Now that's a fighter! You did great!" He clapped me on my back and walked to the two men as they began to stir.

"I suggest you two stay down this time!" I smiled.

"You did good today."

"Did good today? I'm not finished. I can keep going." It was true. The fight and close to death experience has gotten me charged up on adrenaline.

"Then I will fight you." Mordune and I turned in surprise. Loki stood behind us with a sword in his hand. I walked to wear I dropped my sword and picked it up.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hope you guys like. Thanks for reviews, favs/follows. I love you all.

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"Ok. Then let's fight." Mordune walked quietly back to his previous spot by the weapons. Two men came and dragged the Idiots out of the dirt. Thor came forward.

"Loki, you can not do this. Remember what will happen if you hurt her."

"I will not hurt her Thor. We are just going to have a friendly fight." Loki replied to his brother without looking at him. He was too busy keeping eye contact with me.

"Yes, just a friendly fight. I will be fine." Thor relented and went back to the sidelines.

Loki and I began to circle, watching the other for sign of attack. His eyes pierced me, making me unsettled, but I would not show it. He seemed almost suspicious.

"So are we going to fight or keep walking in a circle?" I asked. I knew that I wouldn't be able to use trickery on him. Maybe I could trip him up some.

He finally moved, walking toward me in long strides, sword ready to strike. Raising mine, I gasped when he hit and leaned into it. He was much stronger than the other men.

As he was up close, I could see that his jaw was set, his eyes cold. Finally he drew back, a little longer and I would have buckled. Once back we quickly clashed again.

Loki stepped back and moved his sword as to stab my stomach. Dodging and grabbing his wrist, I thought I had it. But he quickly kicked me in the hip, sending me sprawling to the ground a few feet away.

My hip hurt and I felt the bruise already forming. Loki was coming for me. I looked around for my sword, seeing it across the dirt. He stood over me and was about to hit me. The tip of his sword came down and I rolled to the side. He lost his balance and I took his arm, put my foot to his stomach and flipped him over with everything I had.

He hit the ground with a grunt. Standing up, I kicked his sword away from his hand and ran to my sword. It suddenly moved away as my hand was about to touch it. For a moment I was shocked, but quickly snapped out of it and turned around. I had only a second to move, as Loki brought his sword around, as if to take off my head. The tip of the blade slashed across my cheek, and I cried out.

"Loki, enough!" Thor was yelling at us but we ignored him.

We backed up from each other. Loki smirked when I touched my cheek, coming away with blood covering my hand. My sword was still far away when he charged me again. I had no choice but to stand and defend myself.

His sword landed on my arm guard, and I yelled when the blow rocked throughout my arm. He was leaning into my arm, trying to push me onto my knees. I thought I was about to fall when I decided magic was necessary.

I pushed back against him, and he was surprised when I moved him. His eyes narrowed dangerously. Using magic, I pushed him back a few feet, covering it with a kick to his gut.

Running to my sword and tackling it to be sure it did not move again, Loki was already up again. Luckily, I was back to my feet before he could reach me, and met his stroke with one of my own. My arm was still pounding painfully. We exchanged a few more strokes before I swung my sword around and caught his arm.

He gasped when the blade cut his flesh. He examined it and looked back to me. Growling, he raised his sword and swung at me. I stopped his blade with mine. He smirked and I got a very bad feeling. He brought his free hand back and thrust it forward. His power sent me flying.

I grunted as I was thrown back, all the way through the hedges. The ground seemed to be especially hard today when landing on it, knocking the breath out of me. Groaning and sitting up, yelling could be heard from in the arena. They call it a field. I like arena better.

Loki didn't send me too far. Just about ten feet from the hedges. There was a hole in the bushes from my flight, causing me to laugh a bit. It was pretty funny. Painful. But funny.

"Kat!" Sora's voice snapped my attention to her, and then behind her to see Thor, Loki, Mordune and a few other people. Despite my discomfort, I gave a small smile and a thumbs up to her.

"Hey. Told you all I'd be fine." I said as they came into earshot.

"See? I told you it didn't kill her." Loki said indignantly. "Unfortunate on your part, hmm?" Looking to the three men behind them, I scoffed when they started exchanging coins, two skulking and one with a big smile.

"Are you alright Kathleen?" Thor asked and I rolled my eyes at him.

"A few bruises sure but otherwise, I'm great. And call me Kat, instead, please." He seemed taken aback for a moment before smiling.

"Good. Loki is lucky that he did not kill you. And I assure you he will not go unpunished."

"Huh. That's great, I would have just hit him, but that works." Thor got up and went to his brother, grabbing his shoulder and walking him a distance off.

"I can not believe you fought like that! It was very unexpected." Sora said. She sat next to me on the ground, eyes wide.

"Gee, thanks for the confidence. But truly, I didn't know I could fight like that either."

"Well, it was most impressive for your kind. Especially against a god. If you wish, I would gladly further your training." Mordune said. Immediately, I jumped on the offer.

"I would love that! Thank you." He nodded and we shook hands. Then he proceeded to help me out of my armor and left to put it up. By now Thor and Loki had returned. Thor seemed to remember something else and stopped his brother. They were close enough we could hear them, but we tried not to stare.

"_You_ hurt her. _You_ heal her." Thor hissed, pointing to me, then poking his brother's chest. Loki remained nonchalant.

They continued to walk back to us. "Sora, go with Thor. He needs your assistance." Loki said coldly. Sora looked to him and back to me, rather scared. I nodded to her, and she gave a tentative smile. Loki and I watched them move across the yard, back to the palace.

As I pulled my knee up to rest an arm on it, Loki crouched down next to me. Before he could say anything I held out my hand. He looked to it and back to me. "What?" Rolling my eyes, I said, "It's a shake. Meaning good fight. Do you not do that here?"

"No. Not very often, at least." He said but slowly reached out to grasp my hand. I inhaled sharply at how cold his skin was. Goosebumps began to ascend my arm. We shook once and let go. I flexed my hand, trying to wear off the cold. His hands weren't that cold the first time, were they? Most likely I couldn't feel it since my head was already hurt.

"What's wrong?" he asked quizzically.

"Well, no offense, but are you always so cold? Your skin, not your personality. I already know your personality." I flashed a grin on the last sentence.

"Perhaps. With the rate that I am having to heal you, you will probably find that answer out yourself, yes?" He retorted. I remained silent until he reached for my face.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I pulled back.

"Do you wish me to heal you or not?" He growled out.

"Hey, I didn't ask to get healed. Thor is making you do it." Loki didn't like this. He took my arm in a vice-like grip.

"Thor does not make me do anything. I decide what I want to do. Not my oaf of a brother." He hissed through his teeth and tightened his grip. When he released I pulled my arm away from him.

He let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. Looking back up he said the most unexpected thing.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't lose my temper like that."

I gaped at him. Uh, no, that's definitely not Loki. He looked down and his face seemed to sadden. His eyebrows scrunched up so much he looked like a little kid whose mom yelled at them. Despite who it was, it nearly broke my heart. Ugh, damn silvertongue. I tried to lighten the mood.

"So who are you and what have you done with Loki? This isn't a trick and you're actually behind me, is it?" Just in case, I did turn around. Nothin'. That seemed to help slightly. He gave out a little huff that could count as a laugh.

"Hey everyone has a temper. And I'm really good at pushing the right buttons." Dammit, why am I trying to make him feel better? He sighed and looked back up at me. His eyes didn't seem as cold as usual.

"Now will you let me heal you?" He asked. I nodded.

"But if I find out you tricked me, you're in for it." He smiled.

He laid his hand on my cheek that was cut. Not quite gentle, but not quite hard. He looked to his hand before his eyes met mine. For a moment, we couldn't look away from the other. His green eyes bore into mine, which were also green, but lighter.

As soon as it happened it stopped. He looked back to my cheek, and satisfied with his work, removed his hand. I noticed that it wasn't quite as cold.

"Were else do I need to heal you?" The gash on my leg stung as if it were personally telling him where.

"Uh, there's a gash on my leg. And I think that's all really." He nodded and moved down to my leg. The cut was deeper than I thought and my leg jerked when he touched it. He gave me a quick look and held the back of my leg with his other hand. Soon it was healed, as if it had never been there. Ah, magic. I would have died of blood loss several times if I didn't have it.

"Better?" He asked and stood up.

"Better." I took his outstretched hand and stood up. My body didn't like that and made me groan deeply.

"Did you really have to throw me that hard?" My back popped when stretched out, causing me to moan with relief. Loki had his jaw clenched.

"Yes." He answered, deadpan. My eyes widened and he laughed. I relaxed and laughed with him.

Loki escorted me back to my room. We were mostly silent along the way. When we reached my door, he stopped.

"I have business that needs to be attended to. But I am sure I will see again at dinner tonight. You do know Odin wishes you to come? He says he would like very much to hear those stories you spoke of. Be sure to wear something nice."

"Guess that doesn't include pants, huh?" He chuckled and shook his head no.

"I will leave you to rest." He dipped his head down and left.

Exhaustion overwhelmed me when entering the bedroom. Deciding a hot bath would do good, I stripped out of the dirty clothes and discarded them on the floor. Along the rim of the tub, a green snake rested. For a moment I was surprised. This was someone elses work. Immediately I thought of Loki. He probably conjured it there when we were talking.

Taking the snake and wrapping it around my neck, hot water began to pour into the tub. Once again I picked the pine forest scent and poured some into the water. Yes, this is very much needed. The snake slipped off onto the rim again.

The water burned at first, but slowly melted into a comforting warmth. Now would be a good time to magic out the soreness and bruises that littered my body. The sponge was still nearby and I held it in my hands. Focusing, some magic seeped into it making it a one-time use healing sponge.

I watched the snake when rubbing myself down. Leaning back, my hair fell into the water and I did my best to work out the twigs and leaves that were scattered among the strands. Leaning back against the tub, the snake came and wrapped over my shoulders again. It situated itself above my left breast. I sighed and relaxed as its tiny heartbeat beat against my own.

Loki walked down the halls toward the throne room. His father called himself as well as Thor and some others to meet and discuss about the girl, and how they should proceed with her fate. But Loki was not thinking of that right now. He was lost deep in thought of the girl herself.

He was perplexed at how she made him feel. She infuriates him, but at the same time, she causes him to act…differently. He couldn't choke down the thought that, in fact, he _cared_ about her. How could she make him so mad and so happy at the same time?

Oh gods, when she was moaning. It was of discomfort but regardless, he could feel himself reacting to her sounds. Luckily he was able to control it. He would have to be careful around her. In fact, he should stay away from her the most he can. It wouldn't take much for him to find reason to stay away. In a flash, she could make him angry enough to kill.

Yes. He will stay away.

He'll tell her now. He didn't know why he had conjured that snake in the first place. With a small movement of his hand, the snake burned.

My eyebrows scrunched, confused at the hot sensation along my shoulders. Opening my eyes, I saw the poor snake catch fire and burn. Gasping and moving away, I grasped my shoulder, and yelled as the burn was touched. Tears rolled freely down my face. The skin was burned severely, red with blisters throughout.

I carefully healed my shoulder, choking back the cries. That bastard. I knew I shouldn't have trusted his change in personality. Fine. If that's how he wants to play it, then I'll just play along.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Finally! I am so sorry for not updating in forever but I've been blocked a bit. I hope you all don't hate me and that you enjoy this chapter. I did. Also I want to involve you guys. If there is a prank you want seen, just type it in a review and I'll see what I can do. Thank you so much for the favs/follows and reviews! Reviews make me so happy.**

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My body still ached a little as I walked out of the bathroom. A few plans formulated in my mind for revenge on Loki. Hopefully, if timed right, it would embarrass him severely.

I dressed back into some workout clothes. I wanted to be comfortable for as long as possible before dinner. Sora came in as the boots were slipped back on my feet. She had an apple in one hand, which she tossed to me. I caught it easily and my mouth began to water at its deep red hue.

"I thought you might be a bit hungry after that fight. The news of your successful spar with Loki has already started to spread throughout the house. No doubt Odin has already learned of it." She looked at me proudly and it made me feel better about being stuck here.

"I wouldn't call it successful. I lost." I said before biting into the apple. Delicious juice flooded my mouth.

"Oh my god, these are delicious!" Sora nodded.

"They are very good aren't they? Your spar was more successful then you think. Not many people can best Loki. Especially a human."

"Again, with the human thing, it's offensive. You all make it sound like it's a bad thing." I mumbled through the chunk of apple.

"No, no. It is just that humans are not as strong as Asgardians. At least that is what was thought. Now people will begin to think otherwise."

"Ok, I guess." I was still a bit disgruntled.

" So what else would you like to do?" Sora asked, wanting to distract me from the human thing.

"I don't know. What else do you guys do?"

"Uh, the princes usually workout. Later they have studies. I am not really sure what else they or anyone else does. I am always working. Would you like to see the gardens?" A garden sounded a good a place as any to pass the time.

"Sure."

The gardens were not very far from the training grounds, as it turned out. It was a very large area. Sora explained that it was over a hundred acres of flowers, trees, ponds and a few special statues. There was no actual path. Most just wandered around.

Sora walked around with me for a while. She said she could not stay long because she had other work to do. We talked more about ourselves. Our likes and dislikes. Sora liked to cook but did not like to clean up afterwards. I was the same way. She also liked to read when she had the chance, which was not often.

The garden was beautiful. There were hundreds of flowers of which I could not name. There were some that I had seen often before and others that I had never seen before. When I asked Sora, she said that the ones I recognize were brought to Earth from Asgard centuries ago.

There were so many colors. Blue, yellow, red, pink, purple, mixtures of different colors. It was just a sea of colors that seemed never ending.

Before long, Sora had to leave. She told me that she would come and find me later to get me ready for the dinner. Then I was left to my own devices.

I was eager to explore more of the garden, see everything that I could. But that also let my mind wander around. It wandered to the idea of eating dinner with mythical gods that you never would have thought to have been real. Sure, most stories and legends stem from something. Some original person, place, whatever. I thought that they were based on some people, whose stories quickly became popular and well known. Somewhere along the line people would over exaggerate and add in their own stuff. But I never even thought that it was all _true_. Makes me wonder what else might be real.

Of course there are some differences. I wonder which stories are true or at least close to it. There was one I was dying to know. I'll ask someone about it tonight. Maybe ask Odin if I had the chance. _It is _about his horse, after all.

I shook my head a bit and tried to focus more on the scenery. It really was amazing here.

One tree caught my eye. Not sure why. It was a big old oak tree. I used to climb trees when I was younger. Fell out of at least four trees. And it hurt. Bad. Well bad for a kid, anyways.

Circling the trunk, I decided to try it. I hadn't climbed one in forever. Didn't need to get too rusty. There were a few good looking footholds. The lowest branch was a foot above my head.

I jumped up and grabbed for the branch. My arm wrapped around it and I pulled up a bit. Grunting, my feet set against the trunk and push me up. You know, it's weird the sounds we make when we are straining. I don't think it really helps any but you can't help but make them. It's kinda funny.

My left foot hooked on the branch and I strained to pull up. I gave a satisfied huff when I was sitting upright on it.

Damn, I forgot how good it feels up here. I looked up to see if I could climb up higher. Sure enough, there were some branches close by and wouldn't be too hard to climb up on.

Carefully and shakily, my boots set on top of the branch. My hands set against the trunk behind me and I stood up slowly. Fortunately I did not slip. I turned around and clambered up another branch and another.

I didn't stop until my arms and legs started to ache. The ground was very far down. Very far. My head swam a bit and I sat on the branch. My back leaned against the hard trunk and my legs hung down on both sides.

Slowly my head cleared and I looked down. It wasn't as bad this time. Up here you could see a lot through the branches. And you can hardly be seen. No wonder I climbed them so much, it was a good hiding spot. Looking through the branches I saw flowers and other trees. It was a very big garden.

Looking a little longer, I spotted a clearing with some benches and a modest fountain. I thought about climbing down and going over there when some people walked in.

It was an older woman and two men. On closer inspection, it was Thor and Loki with only I could assume was their mother. I don't know how old she is but she looks pretty good for her age.

She sat down on a bench and the two stood in front of her. She spoke to them for a moment before the men walked toward the fountain. She said something and Thor walked over to her. It looked like she was giving them instructions or lessons or something.

Thor and the woman took into a conversation. Loki was still standing next to the fountain. He seemed disgruntled and turned away from them. He leaned over the edge of the fountain and stared into the water. This continued for a small while when an idea hatched.

If it worked this would be good. Small, but satisfying. Clearing my head, I stared at Loki and the water. Then I waved my hand diagonally up to Loki's face. The water lifted and splashed into his face. He jumped away sputtering.

My god, I could not stop laughing. It was so fucking funny. Apparently, the other two thought so as well. They were laughing merrily while Loki wiped his face and scowled angrily.

I tuned down my laughter when I slipped on the branch a bit. The queen got up and walked to her son. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and squeezed. He calmed a bit and looked back at the fountain accusingly.

They continued their lesson for a while longer. After Thor talked to her, Loki went over and talked to her as well. Thor edged away, but kept clear of the cursed fountain. Whatever they were doing Loki apparently didn't do as well as Thor. She stopped him and talked sternly for a bit before he continued.

I wish I could hear what they were saying. I could probably do something with magic, but I didn't know how.

Eventually, the three of them left. I giggled a bit at the little trick. They would never know. Muwhahaha.

My head leaned back and I closed my eyes for a little bit. I wanted to relax for a bit before tonight.


	7. Chapter 7

"Kat? Kat! Where are you?" My body jolted awake and nearly fell off the branch. Looking down, I could see Sora searching for me. The time had got away from me and I ended up dozing off a bit. The sun had started to go down and the sky was starting to turn orange.

I yawned some then preceded to climb down the tree. Sora was a few feet away from the base of the tree. Sitting down on the last branch and jumping off as quietly as possible, she still had not seen me.

"Kat, the dinner will start soon! Where are you?"

"Here I am!" I jumped up behind her and she squealed.

"Do not do that! That's mean!" She was doubled over with her hand clutching her chest.

"Yeah, but it's fun." I laughed.

"Look at you. You are a mess. You will have to have another bath." She said when she straightened up. I pulled a face like a toddler.

"What? I just took one! I look fine!" She shook her head.

"It is my job to make you presentable. And so I shall. Come on." I followed her back to the palace.

"By the way, where were you?" I shrugged.

"Oh, just hanging around." We both busted out laughing and continued on our way to my room.

"What dress would you like to wear?" Sora yelled from the bedroom. I was currently washing my hair, once again.

"I don't care. Why don't you pick it out?" I yelled back. The warm water drained away along with the pine-scented bubbles. I stood up and grabbed the towel, drying my hair a bit then my body. The towel was wrapped around my body when I went out to see what tonight's torture dress looked like.

Sora was smiling like a little kid when I came out. She pointed to the bed.

"What do you think?" She asked and followed behind me. The dress she picked out was deep green, full length with the side cut up to mid-thigh. A gold chain sat next to it. She told me it would sit around my hips. The shoulders were gold fabric.

"It's really pretty. You picked out a nice one."Her smile got even bigger, if that was possible.

"Go put it on! Loki will be here for you soon!" I faltered on my way to the bathroom.

"Wait, what?"

"I thought you knew? He'll be your escort tonight."

"Oh, well that's great." I huffed and stomped into the bathroom. After wrangling around with the dress for about five minutes, I was finally in it. That's pretty sad.

The dress fit well. The fabric clung to the right places, as people sometimes put it. The chain hung around my hips and a strand fell down the middle. It clanked and rattled when ever it moved. That would be annoying. Surprisingly, it wasn't heavy.

"Oh, you look so beautiful. Come here, I need to do your hair." Sora patted the seat and I sat down.

After I fussed to her about not doing my hair up, she finally settled for a braid. A gold and green ribbon was braided throughout it.

By the we were finished she had put some makeup on. Mostly eyeshadow. In green and gold. Go figure. I asked her about it.

"Why is everything in his colors?"

"Prince Loki?"

"Who else wears green and gold?"

"It is like protection. If people see you wearing Prince Loki's colors, they are more likely to leave you alone. Everyone knows what he is like when he gets angry. Believe me, you don't want him as an enemy." She said very seriously. I laughed.

"Too late."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well, we aren't exactly friendly. Rather, we've got it out for each other."

"Oh that's not good. But he knows he can't hurt you. Odin said he is responsible for you."

"He also figures I'm not one to run and tell. As long as it doesn't show, he can get away with it."

"You will tell me if he hurts you, right?" I scoffed.

"Right." Sora reached out and hugged me. It caught me off guard but I hugged her back. I hadn't been hugged in years. It was sorta weird.

"You're a good friend Sora. It would have been nice to have had a real friend back home."

"You are a good friend too, Kat."

Suddenly there was a light rap at the door. Sora looked at me with wide eyes and ushered me up. She kept pushing and pulling at my hair and making sure my dress was right.

"Cut it out! I look fine!" She stopped me at the door and opened it a bit.

"Yes, sir?" She asked. She was back into servant mode, keeping her head down.

"Is she ready?"

"Yes, sir. She is." Sora opened the door wider and stepped back.

Loki was dressed in formal clothing. He wore greens and golds much like my own. A green cape fell behind him, and his hair was slicked back like usual. In short, he looked like royalty. His eyes flitted up and down my form making me shift slightly.

"May I?" He held his arm out for me to take. I reached out and folded my arm underneath his. He smiled and we started to walk down the hall.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Not much but I hope you all like it. Thank you so much for reading my story. And I hope it won't be as long for the next chapter. Drop some reviews!

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It felt like the walk to dinner would never end. I was tense the whole time, resisting the urge to strangle him. And it seems the tension was mutual. His facial expression was stern and relaxed at the same time. That is a frickin' contradiction, but he proves otherwise!

In actuality, the walk was pretty short. Two guards stood by the doors, which looked the same as all the others in this place. Loki nodded to them and they opened the doors for us. Loki led me inside and what I found was kinda weird and comforting at the same time.

Everyone was at a big table in the center of the room. It was very loud, full of shouting and laughter. It reminded me of the school cafeteria. I didn't particularly like the cafeteria. But it seemed like I would fit in here.

We entered unnoticed until Loki sit me next to his mother and he sat across from me next to his brother.

"Ah, Kat! I'm glad you came!" Thor said through a mouthful of meat.

"Hello darling. It is nice to finally meet you. I am Frigga. Thor and Loki's mother." The woman next to me smiled and took my hand in hers.

"Uh, it's nice to meet you too." I said awkwardly and made a small laugh. Across the table I noticed Thor leaning over to Loki and saying something. Loki scoffed and looked the other way.

"There is no need to be shy. We are all family here." Frigga seemed to sense my discomfort and patted my arm softly.

"Kathleen!" A loud voice boomed, which brought everyone's attention. It was Odin.

"You look beautiful, if I may say so." I smiled shyly.

"Thank you. And thank you for sending the clothes." Odin raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I didn't send them. Loki had them sent to you." He nodded in his direction. I was surprised to hear this, since he hates me. My face blushed and I turned to Loki.

"I'm sorry, Prince Loki. Thank you." I wanted to wash my mouth out with soap. It took everything to not sound sarcastic. He smirked at me and I growled quietly.

"I heard about your spar today with Loki. You almost beat him, so I've been told. Though Loki did use unfair advantages." Odin spoke. He looked to his son, frowning jokingly. Loki's smirk disappeared and he scowled, setting his chin on his hand.

"Well, not exactly." I said in an almost hesitant voice. Wait, shut up!

Odin was surprised.

"How so, child?" He asked curiously. Dammit. I'm stupid.

"We didn't set any ground rules before the fight. That left us open to whatever devices we had at our disposal. And Loki happened to have magic. So it was a fair fight. Now, I've learned from my mistake." My eyes darted to Loki for a moment to find him staring incredulous. Odin was silent for a moment before booming out, "Now that is a true warrior! Learn from your mistakes! Though I still don't approve of what you did, Loki." he pointed at his son.

"Oh I wish I could have seen it. Would you recount it to us, Kathleen?" He asked. I gulped and stammered out, "I couldn't. Really, I..I." My eyes found Thor's.

"Thor can tell you! He was there, weren't you Thor." He understood my hesitation and accepted.

For the next few minutes, Thor told everyone about our fight, though I winced when he over exaggerated things. Should have expected that. Everyone's attention was riveted on him. Soon he had the whole room laughing. I looked at Loki who rolled his eyes and skulked. He saw me staring and I quickly looked down. Well, this is going just _great_.

After Thor finished the room returned to talking and laughing about other subjects. I ate slowly, smiling when I overheard something funny. I looked around and I realized I was the only one silent. Yep. _Exactly_ like the lunch room.

Across the table Loki and Thor were talking. Loki seemed to have lightened up a bit. Odin was shouting to someone on the other end of the table. Frigga was talking to the Amazon woman. I sighed and continued eating.

Frigga turned to me, "Kathleen, I would like you to meet Sif." she introduced me to the woman next to her.

"It's nice to meet you." I said.

"The same to you. I'm glad to finally talk to the only other woman here who is keen to battle."

"Um thanks."

"Sif, why don't you help her practice?" Frigga asked.

"I would love to help train you. Would you like to?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." I nodded. She smiled and walked of. Frigga and I sat back down. Two things flashed in my head. One: What the fuck just happened; Two: Sounds fun.

"So Kathleen. Tell us about yourself. Your family." Odin was still shouting, but Loki and Thor turned their attention to us.

"Please call me Kat. I don't particularly like Kathleen. Uh, there really isn't a lot to say about myself." I shrugged and hoped it would be dropped there.

"Well tell us about your family. Surely they are missing you." She said warmly. I sighed and thought about telling her no. But her demeanor was warm, and seemed to pull the words out of me.

"No one misses me. I take care of myself." She frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't have a family. Not that I know of. I never knew my parents. I've always been in foster care, but I ran off and they lost track of me. Now I live on my own, take care of myself." I said easily. Thor and Loki looked at me, their faces fallen. Loki seemed to be thinking. Frigga took my hand.

"Oh dear. I'm so sorry. You have no idea who your parents are?" I shook my head.

"No. I don't know if their even alive. Sometimes I'd rather think they're dead, then they may not be as heartless. That they didn't just throw me away." I felt sad, but no tears seemed to fall. I must have shed them all a long time ago.

Frigga looked at me with concern. By now Odin had fallen quite and was listening. Thankfully the rest of the room was talking amongst themselves. Odin's face was sad. His old age made it even more so. He looked at Loki with the same sadness in his eyes.

"Enough of this now. I'd love to hear about you all. Tell me your stories. I'd like to know if our books are correct." Thor was the first to help change the subject. The others quickly followed. Frigga still held my hand. Odin seemed to lighten up a bit. Loki was still deep in thought.

For the next hour or so, Odin told me about his stories. He told of great battles, how he got his wisdom, and about his father before him. Thor and Loki, as well as others from the table, interjected at times. Thor told me of his adventures alone and with Loki. Going up against giants and each other. As all of these stories were told, I compared them to the books I had read. We didn't stray too far from the mark.

But I still hadn't heard the story I wanted to.

"Odin, is it true that you have an eight-legged horse?" Loki's gazed snapped up to me and Odin.

"Ah, Sleipnir. My most prized horse. That is a good story." He said proudly.

"Really? I'd love to hear it." I glanced at Loki who had his jaw set and sat very still. He gave me a death glare.

"Oh, yes. I remember it very well. A man comes to us, a builder, and offers to build us a great wall to keep invaders out. In exchange he wanted Freyja, the sun, and the moon. We were all appalled with the idea, but Loki over here, convinced us to accept. But we would put restrictions on his resources and give him a deadline to finish within three seasons." I nodded, remembering the same.

"The man asked if he could use his stallion, Svaolifari. Once again Loki told us not to worry. But it turns out the the stallion could do twice as much labor then the builder. He hauled big rocks and soon the builder was almost finished, with three days until the deadline. We all discussed what to do, and came to the conclusion that it was Loki's fault, and he needed to fix it. He told us he would cause the builder to forfeit, whatever it may cost himself."

"That night the builder and his stallion go to fetch more stone. A beautiful mare runs out of the woods and Svaolifari runs off after her. The builder spends the entire night trying to find them. Soon we find out that he is a hrimthrus, and so we disregard the deal. Thor beats him severely with his mighty hammer."

"We did not see Loki for a long time, but when he returns he brings with him a most wonderful colt. Gray with eight-legs. He gives me this colt. And so is the story about my beautiful Sleipnir." He smiles warmly. He truly is proud of the horse.

I fidget in my seat with a huge smile. No fucking way. The laughter is just barely contained.

"I'm sorry, but may I be excused? I'll just be a minute."

"Oh of course you can darling. There is no need for such formalities here." Frigga smiled warmly and Odin nodded approval.

"Thank you."

I practically jump from my seat and fast walk to the door. Bursting out from the room and surprising the guards, I started to run down the long halls, laughing along the way. My belt clinked loudly and the long slit up the side of the dress waved with every move made. The halls flashed past me, and my laughter echoed. Suddenly images of the garden popped in my mind and I changed course, hoping to find it. But it found me, more or less.

The air was warm and the sky was quickly changing from orange and purple to dark blue. The stars started to twinkle brightly, and it took my breath away. It was nothing like on earth. I could see planets and groups of stars that reminded me of the Milky Way.

My attention turned back to the ground. I tugged off my sandals and wiggled my toes in the soft grass.

I can't believe that the story was true! Loki got screwed by a horse! Tears starting running down my cheeks from the magnitude of my laughing.

The courtyard that Frigga was in with her sons. I wanted to go there and started to run again.


End file.
